Ruth Myers Memorial Service

I knew Ruth through my interactions with her at church, her family, and through her being my daughter’s counselor at the Kid’s in Motion camp here are New Life. And as I have talked to many of you these past several weeks I have learned so much more about this remarkable young woman. I learned that her last two places of employment shut down this morning so that the employees whom she impacted so much could attend. What a wonderful commentary on her and her life and impact. And as I’ve listened to so many thoughts and stories, the thing that stood out the most about her, it seems, was something along the lines of, “it was her smile…or her personality…it would just light up the room!”

As I’ve asked the Lord these last few weeks to guide my thoughts for this time, the idea of light continued to come to mind. In part because it was what so many of you used to describe Ruth. But also because of the long shadow of the tragic and sudden loss of our friend casts on all of us today. As we grieve, and as we face the darkness of death, I pray that for just a moment…, we may encounter light this morning.

As I’ve thought about light this week, the one passage that continues to come to mind is

John 8:12 ESV

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The first thing we need to see here is as Jesus makes this claim, he uses a metaphor - He talks abou this idea of Light

What does light do? , especially in this passage, is that it brings life. Without the light of the sun, all life would end! Photosynthesis would cease. We would be lacking vital nutrients ourselves. We would freeze.

It also reveals. Maybe the first thing that comes to mind It reveals truth and goodness. You could try to gather information about a thing if you try to touch it, smell it. But to really have an idea of what a thing is, light must hit it to reveal its truth.

But Jesus, in saying this, wasn’t just wanting you to know something about this metaphor. He wants you to know something about Himself. He is saying that He is the light! That while there are many other things in this world that have the appearance of light, He is the one who brings true, eternal life, and is that which reveals that which is true and good. Anything else with the appearance of being the ultimate light is but only the moon, compared to His being the sun.

Now, I know that many of us in this room today do not attend church, have not attended church, so let me explain this very briefly the significance of this passage. He wasn’t just saying he is here to make us happy, to bring life. He was saying something far more profound. Jesus was a Jew. And when Jesus said this particular statement he was at a certain festival that was a part of the Jewish calendar back around AD 30 and he was likely standing in front of some rather large flames that were a part of this celebration that commemorated God becoming a pillar of fire and leading Moses and God’s people through the wilderness. And in no uncertain terms, in front of the Jewish leaders, Jesus looks up at the pillar and says, I am the light of the world, which essentially meant, “I am God.”

Well, needless to say the Jewish leaders were not too happy with Him at that time, and he was almost arrested. They thought he was delusional. And if He was God, they didn’t want their autonomy threatened because If He was God…then they have no choice but to follow Him. I’m guessing there are some in this room that think that as well. Jesus was simply a crazy man! I mean, go visit a major hospital on the weekend. Chances are someone will show up claiming to be God! But there is one thing that sets Jesus apart from all the others who have gone before and have come after Him and made that claim. He died, like all the rest. But then he came back to life.

This resurrection is the basis of the verse we just read in that enables Paul to write, “where o death is your sting?” It says just before that that through the Resurrection Death is swallowed in victory. In that one moment, when Jesus came to life, death was ironically mortally wounded because there was a person…a God, who could defeat it. And if it has no victory. It has no long-term sting, because as tells us, not even death can separate us from the Love of God if we are in Jesus.

Friends, this does not mean death does not hurt. It does not mean if we trust in Jesus we will not suffer pain or hardship. That’s a lie. It does not mean depression and despair will not visit us. But this light has a couple of important things for us to consider.

For the Christian in this room, this light of the world is important on this day. You see, this light wasn’t a light that never experienced what we are experiencing. This God of light walked through withering darkness for you. He is a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He wept over the death of his friend Lazarus. He is not only the Jesus of the Resurrection, but the Jesus of Gethsemane. He is also the Jesus on the cross, who experienced great physical, and emotional pain of loneliness. And He is the Jesus who is with you today as you grieve the loss of Ruth. But because you are in Him, you can grieve with hope that one day you will experience a day where the sting of death is totally gone, and all of the dead in Christ will rise again to a place where there will never be another tear shed. Where His light will be so bright there will be no need for a sun.

There are those in the room who do not believe in Jesus. And friends, as much of a light that Ruth was on this earth, she would say to you today that she is a lesser light, and she would want you to listen to Jesus’ call at the end here…to follow the true light. Not a lesser light!

Growing up in Virginia Beach, you would often come upon areas during certain times of the year that were marked off because an endangered Sea Turtle had made their nest there. And when these nests are found, there used to be movements to have neighbors and businesses shut off any artificial lights. The reason for this was because the the turtles would emerge during a full moon and when they came out at night, they would find the moon on the horizon over the ocean and follow it into the ocean where their chances of survival increased significantly. But if there were bright, artificial lights, it would lead them to a certain demise, from predators, lack of food and water. It would leave them ultimately to languish and perish.

Friends, we are surrounded by lesser lights- relationships, fun, comfort, substances, your own intellect, a grudge, a promise…all places we think we can find life. Let me encourage you to reject all lights but Jesus. They are only a mirage that will leave you exposed and parched on the dry sands of this world. And consider for a second that what Jesus is saying is true…that He is God, the true source of life and truth and goodness…Then He is worth following as He calls us to here. The good news this morning is that this God is knowable. In fact, the call here is simply - follow Him. Look at Him and walk the way He’s walking and head that way.

This is not complex - It is a prayer that if you believe it you simply say, Jesus, I believe you are the light, and you are the only true source of life. And even though I don’t understand you entirely, I believe you are my Savior, who paid for my rebellion against the God of the universe, and I want to follow you.

That would accomplish all we set out to do today…to best honor Ruth and her life, and to honor this great light of life, Jesus.

Let me pray.

For those who don’t

The dangers of following a lesser light

Sea Turtles.